Subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriatic arthritis: a case-control study. Preliminary data

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), correlated with some traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis and with PsA-related disease factors. Methods: Forty-one patients and 41 healthy subjects were evaluated for intima-media thickness (IMT) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD), using carotid duplex scanning. IMT values were expressed like IMT mean (cumulative mean of all the IMT mean) and M-MAX (cumulative mean of all the higher IMT). Subclinical atherosclerosis markers were correlated with age, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure in both groups, with duration of arthritis, duration of psoriasis, tender and swollen joints, BASDAI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index), BASFI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients. Results: IMT mean and M-MAX were both higher in PsA patients compared with controls (0.7±0.15 vs 0.62±0.09 mm; p<0.01 and 0.86±0.21 vs. 0.74±0.13 mm; p<0.01 respectively). FMD was smaller in patients than in controls (5.9±2 vs 7.5±2.8%; p<0.01). Univariate analysis showed a correlation between IMT mean and SBP (r=0.217; p=0.05) and a correlation between M-MAX and age (r=0.392; p<0.001), BMI (r=0.252; p<0.05), SBP (r=0.446; p<0.001) in both groups. In PsA patients M-MAX resulted correlated with ESR (r=0.338; p<0.05) and BASDAI (r=0.322; p<0.05). Conclusions: PsA patients exhibited endothelial dysfunctions which is an early marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, as well as an higher IMT. An interesting correlation between M-MAX and PsA activity index (ESR and BASDAI) was found

Structural Brain MR Imaging Changes Associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

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Thermal neutron detection by means of Timepix3

Thermal neutron detection plays a crucial role in numerous scientific and technical applications such as nuclear reactor physics, particle accelerators, radiotherapy,materials analysis and space exploration. There are several challenges associated with the accurate identification and quantification of thermal neutrons. The present work proposes a detailed characterization of a Timepix3 (TPX3) detector equipped with a Lithium Fluoride (6LiF) converter in order to study its response to thermal neutrons that are identified through the 6Li(n,α)3H reaction. The TPX3-based test system has been installed at the HOTNES facility in ENEA and the analysis highlighted its excellent performance showing high effectiveness in the identification of neutrons through morphological analysis of tracks produced by alpha and triton particles, after accurate discrimination from the gamma background. With the use of Monte Carlo simulations, it has been demonstrated that the main contribution is due to tritons and its signal can be used effectively in the identification of thermal neutrons obtaining an efficiency of 0.9 % for 25 meV neutrons. This allows the TPX3 to have important applications as an environmental monitor for thermal neutrons. This monitoring system can be simply realized and is easy to manage because of its compact size and its digital acquisition that allows a real-time analysis

Sjögren's syndrome: comparison among the main imaging techniques in the study of major salivary glands

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune etiology, that affects exocrine glands, in particular salivary and lacrimal glands. Among the diagnostic criteria of SS, imaging techniques play an important role. The aim of our study is to compare three imaging techniques, such as sonography, scintigraphy and sialography in the evaluation of major salivary glands. The use of the these techniques is of great importance for the diagnosis of SS. Sonography is the most frequently used for its prompt execution, non invasivity, great acceptance by the patient and low cost. In the diagnostic patient management of SS, sonography results are eventually confirmed by the other imaging techniques, sialography and scintigraph

Oligosaccharyltransferase Inhibition Induces Senescence in RTK-Driven Tumor Cells

Asparagine (N)-linked glycosylation is a protein modification critical for glycoprotein folding, stability, and cellular localization. To identify small molecules that inhibit new targets in this biosynthetic pathway, we initiated a cell-based high throughput screen and lead compound optimization campaign that delivered a cell permeable inhibitor (NGI-1). NGI-1 targets the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), a hetero-oligomeric enzyme that exists in multiple isoforms and transfers oligosaccharides to recipient proteins. In non-small cell lung cancer cells NGI-1 blocks cell surface localization and signaling of the EGFR glycoprotein, but selectively arrests proliferation in only those cell lines that are dependent on EGFR (or FGFR) for survival. In these cell lines OST inhibition causes cell cycle arrest accompanied by induction of p21, autofluorescence, and changes in cell morphology; all hallmarks of senescence. These results identify OST inhibition as a potential therapeutic approach for treating receptor tyrosine kinase-dependent tumors and provides a chemical probe for reversibly regulating N-linked glycosylation in mammalian cells

The turn of the valve: representing with material models

Many scientific models are representations. Building on Goodman and Elgin’s notion of representation-as we analyse what this claim involves by providing a general definition of what makes something a scientific model, and formulating a novel account of how they represent. We call the result the DEKI account of representation, which offers a complex kind of representation involving an interplay of, denotation, exemplification, keying up of properties, and imputation. Throughout we focus on material models, and we illustrate our claims with the Phillips-Newlyn machine. In the conclusion we suggest that, mutatis mutandis, the DEKI account can be carried over to other kinds of models, notably fictional and mathematical models

DTT - Divertor Tokamak Test facility: A testbed for DEMO

The effective treatment of the heat and power exhaust is a critical issue in the road map to the realization of the fusion energy. In order to provide possible, reliable, well assessed and on-time answers to DEMO, the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT) has been conceived and projected to be carried out and operated within the European strategy in fusion technology. This paper, based on the invited plenary talk at the 31st virtual SOFT Conference 2020, provides an overview of the DTT scientific proposal, which is deeply illustrated in the 2019 DTT Interim Design Report